The Chronicles Of St Mary’s – Jodi Taylors Books In Order

Jodi Taylor is a fantastic author of fantasy and historical fiction. Jody Taylor was born in Bristol in the UK.

She worked for almost 20 years with the North Yorkshire County Council. During this time, she self-published her first novel.

This novel was named Just One Damned Thing After Another. 

This book was picked up by USA Today’s Best Selling Books List. Since then, Jodi Taylor has continued to write and publish new books. 

She is best known for The Chronicles Of St. Mary’s Series. It is a great series that is based on the St Mary’s Institute of Historical Research.

This is where all of the research was done to investigate the major historical events. 

About The Chronicles Of St. Mary’s

Jodi Taylor’s most famous series is The Chronicles of St Mary’s. This novel follows the staff at St Mary’s Institute of Historical Research.

It focuses on Dr. Madeleine Maxwell, among others. They time-travel so that they are able to investigate major historical events in contemporary times.

The Very First Damned Thing 

The Very First Damned Thing is a short story that is a prequel to the series.

It sets up the background of the series, and it explores the way in which Dr. Bairstow set up St Mary’s.

It is often advised that you do not read it as the first book in the series.

Instead, it is better to read the book in publication order, meaning you read it between books six and seven. 

Pros

• Adds great background information to the series. 

Cons

• Cannot be read as a standalone book.

Just One Damned Thing After Another

This is the first novel of the series that is set at St Mary’s Institute of Historical Research. In this novel, historians don’t just study the past. Instead, they revisit the past.

The new recruit, Max, is introduced in this novel, and she rides the catastrophe curve. She travels from eleventh-century London and into the First World War. 

The novel follows this adventure, but wherever these historians travel, they are always followed by chaos! This is a very exciting first novel. 

Pros

• This novel is a great introduction to the Institute of Historical Research.
• This is an exciting introduction to the series.

Cons 

• Difficult to keep up at times.

A Symphony Of Echoes

The next novel in the series sees Max sent back to Victorian London to seek out Jack the Ripper.

Things start to go wrong when Jack the Ripper figures out about the historians before they find him.

Max ends up trying to escape him as he runs through the streets of Whitechapel. 

Pros

• Very exciting storyline.
• Great characterization.

Cons

• Stories are quite formulaic.

When A Child Is Born

When A Child Is Born is a short story that is set on Christmas Day in 1066.

A team of historians from St Mary’s are heading back in time to witness William the Conqueror’s coronation. 

However, it doesn’t seem to work out for them too well as Max finds himself delivering a child. This all occurs in a peasant’s hut.

This short story can be found in the book The Long and Short Of It.

Pros

• This short story adds insight into the characters.

Cons

• There are a large number of stories that all follow the same storyline.

Roman Holiday

Roman Holiday is another short story that is set in Ancient Rome. It is set in 44 BC. This story involves Julius Caesar, some poisonous snakes, and a riot.

This is collected in the book named The Long and Short Of It.

Pros

• Great storyline

Cons

• Little characterization

A Second Chance

A Second Chance is the next novel in the series. In this novel, the historians experience a successful assignment.

The novel takes them back to the 17th century. They head to Cambridge where they meet Isaac Newton.

They then find themselves in the Trojan War, and this experience changes everything.

The Battle of Agincourt is also experienced by Max, and she once again finds herself risking her life to save someone’s life.

Pros

• There are lots of exciting events occurring in this novel. 

Cons

• The storyline can get repetitive throughout the series. 

A Trail Through Time

This novel sees the historians head back to a 17th-century Frost Fair which is located in Ancient Egypt. It also is located in Pompeii in 8th century Scandinavia. 

Max and Leon are followed throughout this novel, playing a very high-risk game of hide-and-seek.

They then find themselves back at St Mary’s, but it is not even safe there. 

Pros

• This novel runs through some amazing settings. 

Cons

• The novel follows a similar structure to the others.

Christmas Present

Christmas Present is another short story that follows the historians at St Mary’s. This story can also be found in The Long and Short of it.

Pros

• Short stories add more characterization to the story. 

Cons 

• Has quite a simple storyline.

Lies, Damned Lies, And History

This is another great novel that follows the historians at St Mary’s.

The History Department is facing some trouble around Max, and she and everyone else at St Mary’s is paying the price.

Max has bent the rules and she and others are paying the price for it. Will Max be able to put it right? 

Pros

• This novel takes a different approach to the story, as Max makes a mistake she might not be able to fix. 

Cons

• This novel is different from the previous novels, and it may not appeal to everyone.

And The Rest Is History

This is a great novel that follows Max as she is tempted by a proposition that has the potential to change everything.

The end to an old conflict is in sight and if they make the right call, all of St Mary’s problems can be over. This novel was written in 2017.

Pros

• This is an exciting addition to the story. 

Cons

• The story follows a similar storyline to previous novels. 

Hope For The Best

This is a great story that involves Clive Ronan who joins Max in the adventure.

This novel heads into the 16th century and looks at the Tudor queen who is on the throne at the time. Max must step up again. 

Pros

• This is a great novel that looks at very interesting historical events. 

Cons 

• Max is getting tested a lot in this story.

Plan For The Worst

In this novel, you will see Max on another adventure. By now, she is very used to everything going wrong.

She is used to experiencing disasters. However, when her family is reunited she feels like life is slowly getting back to normal.

However, normal for St Mary’s is very different. Max experiences one fateful night at the Tower of London, and she experiences disaster once more. 

Pros

• This is a very exciting story. 

Cons

• Characterization is not developing much more in the last novels.

Another Time, Another Place

This novel is the last in the series. It was written in 2020. As you probably know by now, everything that can go wrong in these novels, will.

Disasters will begin to pile up and the new colleagues in St Mary’s will have to adjust. This book starts in Tudor England at the Tower of Babel.

This story goes very wrong for Max as she becomes jobless and homeless.

Pros

• A thrilling story and new characters are introduced.

Cons

• Need help getting to know the new colleague in this book. 

Other Novels In The Series

There are also lots more short stories that have been published as part of this series.

These short stories all add to the great stories that you will find in the novels and they include the following: 

• Ships And Stings And Wedding Rings
• The Great St Mary’s Day Out
• A Perfect Storm
• Christmas Past
• The Battersea Barricades 
• The Steam Pump Jump
• And Now For Something Completely Different
• Hope For The Best

There are lots of interesting things that you will find out in these novellas that you wouldn’t otherwise be aware of. 

These short stories are compiled into a couple of books, and you can see Max on a few more adventures. 

Final Thoughts

This article has looked at the order of Jodi Taylor’s The Chronicles of St Mary’s series.

The novels in this series are all fantastic, and they are definitely worth a read. Jodi Taylor has written a large number of fantastic novels outside of this series, too. 

The series has fantastic ideas behind it, and it explores fantastic times in history.  

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